The Spanish alphabet is very close to the English alphabet, but it has one important extra letter: Ñ. For beginners, the most useful goal is simple: recognize each letter, know its Spanish name, and spell names, surnames, cities, and emails clearly.
The Spanish Alphabet
This list uses the standard modern Spanish alphabet. After the dash, you will see the Spanish name of the letter and a word where it appears.
- – A, as in amigo.
- – Be, as in barco.
- – Ce, as in casa.
- – De, as in día.
- – E, as in escuela.
- – Efe, as in familia.
- – Ge, as in gato.
- – Hache, as in hola.
- – I, as in isla.
- – Jota, as in jamón.
- – Ka, as in kilo.
- – Ele, as in luna.
- – Eme, as in mano.
- – Ene, as in noche.
- – Eñe, as in niño.
- – O, as in oso.
- – Pe, as in pan.
- – Cu, as in queso.
- – Erre, as in rojo.
- – Ese, as in sol.
- – Te, as in tarde.
- – U, as in uno.
- – Uve, as in vino.
- – Doble u, as in web.
- – Equis, as in taxi.
- – Ye, as in yo.
- – Zeta, as in zapato.
Examples:
- Madrid empieza con M. (Madrid starts with M.)
- Niño contiene Ñ. (Niño contains Ñ.)
Vowels in Spanish
Spanish vowels are A, E, I, O, and U. For an English speaker, the helpful thing is that Spanish vowels are usually more stable than English vowels.
- – Like the a in casa.
- – Like the e in mesa.
- – Like the i in vino.
- – Like the o in rosa.
- – Like the u in luna.
The letter can sound like a vowel in some words, but it is not part of the basic vowel group.
How to Spell in Spanish
To ask someone to spell a word, use short, practical phrases. They are useful for names, surnames, cities, and email addresses.
- ¿Cómo se escribe? – How is it written?
- ¿Puedes deletrearlo? – Can you spell it?
- Empieza con... – It starts with...
- Termina con... – It ends with...
- Doble L – Double L
- Mayúscula – Capital letter
- Minúscula – Lowercase letter
Examples:
- ¿Cómo se escribe Luna? L-U-N-A. (How do you spell Luna? L-U-N-A.)
- Es doble L, no una L. (It is double L, not one L.)
Common Mistakes
Forgetting Ñ
The letter Ñ is not the same as N. It is a separate letter in Spanish and can change the meaning of a word, as in una and uña.
Confusing B and V when spelling
In many Spanish accents, B and V sound very similar. When spelling, it is useful to say the letter name clearly: be or uve.
Treating H like a strong English h
The H is written in words like hola and hotel, but it is normally silent in Spanish. You still need it to spell the word correctly.
Practice with real words: Madrid, Luna, niño, uña, queso, zapato, hola, and web. If you can recognize their letters and spell them one by one, you have a strong base for beginner Spanish conversations.